Norman Lear (Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)
When Norman Lear received the National Medal of Arts in 1999, President Bill Clinton declared that the television producer and writer “had held up a mirror to American society and changed the way we look at it.” That’s exactly what he did in groundbreaking shows like All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, and Maude. And he did it with wit, boldness, and an approach to storytelling that challenged and redefined the impact a 30-minute comedy can have on its audience.
Join Lear—a member of the Television Hall of Fame and winner of four Emmys and a Peabody Award—as he speaks with NPR’s Eric Deggans about his life, career, and achievements from his groundbreaking work in sitcoms to his philanthropy.
